- Offered from the Muckel Collection
- An authentic Bearcat, as noted by late historian Paul
Freehill
- Formerly of the Charles LeMaitre and James Bradley
collections
- Well-preserved, award-winning restoration
- One of America's earliest sports cars; a performance icon of
its time
Perhaps a few in the stands at Indianapolis in 1911 saw Harry C.
Stutz's creation coming, but they were in the minority, as they
were engineers and fellow veterans of the early automobile
industry, and they knew Stutz's genius. The car that he built under
his own name averaged 62.375 mph for 500 miles in that first
running of the 500, running with only minimal mechanical adjustment
and 13 pit stops, 11 of which being for tires. Though it did not
win the race, its durable performance was considered outstanding
for a first independent production effort. Stutz took advantage of
the notice, promoting his car as "the Car That Made Good in a
Day."
The production version of that car was the Model A Bear Cat of
1912. It was powered by a Wisconsin-built mill that Stutz historian
Raymond Katzell referred to as "of appropriate size, that had
already accumulated a splendid record for stamina and performance
in racing." Harry Stutz's mechanical brilliance increased the
engine's performance to an estimated 60 horsepower, which was fed
to the rear wheels through a transaxle�a technological advancement
that was some five decades ahead of its time. When installed on a
118-inch wheelbase chassis with the Bear Cat's minimal bodywork,
which comprised just seats and tanks, the Wisconsin T-head four
propelled it to superb speeds from an already extremely lightweight
performance-designed chassis.
The sporty Bear Cat was promoted by Stutz to the carbon copy of
their racing model. "We are now building duplicates of this 'car
that made good in a day' with absolutely the same material,
workmanship, and design," boasted the 1912 factory catalogue. True
indeed, as men of the era, with money to burn and gasoline in their
blood, took to the dirt and board tracks in Bear Cats, setting up a
heated rivalry with competitors, most famously the Mercer Raceabout
of New Jersey.
THIS BEARCAT
The 1915 Stutz Model 4F offered here was discovered in a shipping
container in England in 1982 carrying a 1920s-style body. The late
Brass Era Stutz expert Paul Freehill, of Stutz Specialties in Fort
Wayne, Indiana, inspected the car and identified the gas tank as an
original, correct 1915 Bearcat unit, in addition to verifying that
the frame had the correct 118-inch span, both as noted in
correspondence from Mr. Freehill, which is included in the file.
Thus, it was determined that this car had been born originally as a
Bearcat and was among the authentic survivors. Mr. Freehill built a
correct 1915 Bearcat body and shipped it to England, where it was
mounted on the chassis.
In the mid-1980s, the car returned to the United States, having
been purchased by Willis Boyd of Santa Ana, California, who
completed a fresh restoration. The car then passed through the
well-known collections of Charles LeMaitre and James Bradley. In
2005 the car received further restoration work, including an engine
rebuild by Charlie Troutman, and was shown by Mr. Bradley at the
Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance as part of the Magnificent Brass
Cars class. It was later part of a well-known Southwestern
collection before John Muckel acquired it in 2010.
Mr. Muckel has continued to make occasional show appearances with
the Stutz, most prominently at the 2011 Ironstone Concours, where
it was judged Best in Class and, thrillingly, Open Best of Show. It
is still very thrilling to drive and remains in fine overall
condition, ready for either extended touring or further show
appearances�whichever the new owner prefers at the wheel of one of
America's original high-performance sports cars.To view this car
and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
